UPDATED: Retail organization events for Holiday '09 season

Here's what's going on with retail-oriented organizations around Washtenaw County during the 2009 holiday shopping season. The calendar will be updated throughout November and December.

Today through Dec. 4: Ann Arbor shoppers can vote on their favorite Main Street merchant window displays. Voters are entered in a drawing to win a $100 Main Street Area Association gift certificate and a $100 gift certificate from Ten Thousand Villages. Ten Thousand Villages also has a wireless voting station set up in the store. To vote or to find a list of merchants participating in the window display contest, visit www.mainstreetannarbor.org.

Nov. 23: Think Local First hosts its annual meeting. 6-8:30 p.m. Big George’s, 2023 W. Stadium Blvd. The guest speaker is Paul Saginaw, co-founder of the Zingerman's Community of Businesses. He was recently appointed to the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies board. He will give an update as to what they have planned for the next year. BALLE currently has 64 networks in the U.S. and Canada all working to promote sustainable local economies. This is an opportunity to hear what is happening on the national level. Light meal of finger foods, plus guest chef Natalie Marble from Ann Arbor Cooks! will prepare something on site. For more information, visit www.thinklocalfirst.net.

Nov. 24: Saline Downtown Merchants Association meeting. 9 a.m. Dan's Downtown Tavern, 103 E. Michigan Ave., Saline.

Dec. 1: Ann Arbor DDA Downtown Citizens Advisory Council. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Ann Arbor City Hall, 100 N. Fifth Ave., Fourth floor conference room.

Dec. 1: First Tuesday Breakfast. 7:30-9 a.m. Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce, 301 W. Michigan Ave., Suite 101. Networking and speaker. Topic TBA.

Dec. 2: Ann Arbor DDA Board Meeting. Noon-2:30 p.m. DDA Conference Room, 150 S. Fifth Ave. Suite 301, Ann Arbor. Members of the public are welcome to attend, and time is set aside at the beginning and end of each monthly meeting for public comment. Meetings are replayed on CTN 16 and are also available on the DDA web site about one week after the live meeting.

Dec. 4-11: Buy Local Week. Think Local First teams with merchant associations to promote buying local. The kick off date coincides with Ann Arbor's Midnight Madness and Ypsilanti's Starlight Shopping Spree.

Dec. 4: Midnight Madness. Hosted by the Main Street Area Association. For more information, visit mainstreetannarbor.org/category/december/.

Dec. 4: Ypsilanti's Starlight Shopping Spree. Sponsored by the Downtown Association of Ypsilanti. Holiday Shopping. Santa and his reindeer are scheduled to attend.

Dec. 8: Saline Downtown Merchants Association meeting. 9 a.m. Brecon Grille
101 W. Michigan Ave., Saline.

Dec. 9: Ann Arbor DDA Capital Improvements Committee. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. DDA Conference Room, 150 S. Fifth Ave. Suite 301, Ann Arbor. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Dec. 9: Ann Arbor DDA Partnerships Committee. 9-11 a.m. DDA Conference Room, 150 S. Fifth Ave. Suite 301, Ann Arbor. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Dec. 10: The West Washtenaw Business Association Year Ender. Time is TBA. Reddeman Farms 555 Dancer Road, Chelsea. For more information, visit www.wwba.biz.

Dec. 10: Coffee with Think Local First. 7-9 a.m. Zingerman’s Next Door at 418 Detroit St., Ann Arbor. Coffee hour is an opportunity to meet Executive Director Ingrid Ault. Stop in to introduce yourself, ask questions, become a member or even to air a grievance. For more information, visit www.thinklocalfirst.net.